Hard Task At Lagos

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30956, 12 January 1966, Page 11

Hard Task At Lagos

f.V.Z.P.A. Reuter—Copyright) LAGOS, January 11. The British Prime Minister, Mr Wilson, today faced fellow Commonwealth leaders in a bid to persuade them Britain can crack Rhodesia's white regime without resorting to force.

Leaders or representatives of 20 Commonwealth countries were meeting in the luxurious Federal Palace Hotel exactly two months after the Rhodesian Prime Minister, Mr lan Smith, seized independence on November 11. The meeting—the first Commonwealth summit held outside Britain —was proposed byNigeria to seek a just solution to the crisis posed by Mr Smith's action.

There are signs Mr Wilson will not have an easy passage in the conference room. Arguments about the use of force —rejected by Britain—are likely to dominate the early stages of the meeting. Force Demanded In pre-conference statements, delegates from Ceylon, Zambia and Sierra Leone have already demanded that force be applied at once. It also seems likely Mr Wilson will face demands by a majority of delegates that force must be used if economic measures fail to get results.

On the other hand, it is believed about one-third of the delegates will back Britain’s view that fcice will not be needed because sanctions will bring down the Smith regime. Delegates also expected that Mr Wilson will outline plans for Rhodesia’s constitutional advance after Mr Smith’s regime has been ousted.

Conference sources said those who looked for an early transfer from white to African Government were likely to be disappointed as the change would be a matter of years rather than months.

Also on the agenda will be olans for Commonwealth cooperation in safeguarding Zambia’s vulnerable economy from any retaliatory action by the Rhodesian breakaway regime. Only two of the 22 independent Commonwealth States will have no representation at all at the meeting. They are Ghana and Tanzania, who both severed diplomatic ties

with London over Britain's handling of the Rhodesian crisis. The Commonwealth leaders meet in a nation itself troubled by political violence. Strong security measures are in force in Lagos after clashes and demonstrations by rival political factions. Officials say opposition elements in the region plan to focus world attention on their grievances by trying to stir up violence during the Commonwealth meeting.